Knitted fabric



J. P. PRIMM MITTED FABRIC.

Jan. i8, i938.

.ANNANANNAMNNNNNNMNNNNNNNNNNA? `m` AAAMAAAAAAAAAQAANAAAAAAAAAKAAA Filed June 29, 1936 Tying-in hrewd .Eladio Unread @j fi' 'ufl asephr realized .im is, 193s l UNITED STATES PATENT oEFicE This invention relatesv to improvements in knitted fabrics, and its objects are as follow:

First, to provide an accordion knitted fabric or stocking top vin which an elastic thread is so fed 5 as to lie on one face of the fabric, to and against which it is secured by a tying yarn or thread, which, i'n addition to anchoring the elastic thread, is also knitted into the fabric so as to hold adiacent wales together. l Second, to apply an elastic thread to a ribbed fabric in the foregoing manner, the tying-in thread serving to hold adjacent wales of said fabric in close relationship.

Third, to utilize a mock ribbed fabric on which l an elasticthread is tied in the mannerabove described, as a so-called garter top for hosiery. Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which: so Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of an article of hosiery, the external wales of the garter top being fragmentarily shown.

Figure 2 is a fractional diagram of the courses and wales of the fabric, the view being an interior 25 elevation. v

' ln the drawing, l designates a portion of an article of hosiery, which in this instance is a sock,

although it may be regarded -as of some other species. Further, the invention is not necessarily 33 embodied in an article of hosiery because it would be as effective in flat knitted goods.

The sock i has a garter top 2, so called because it has an elastic thread 3 (Fig. 2) which produces a contracting effect upon the leg of the wearer. This elastic thread is either covered or not, and it is fed in a single, unbroken strand from a spool supported by the circular knitting machine later referred to.

The fabric t inFigvZ is the same as the top 40 ii in Fig. 1. Being so, the mock ribs 5 in Fig. 1

are identied between the wale lines t and il in Fig. 2. These ribs are separated by the intervening wales il, shown in Fig. 2 but concealed -in Fig. i because of the natural contraction of the fabric, 45 due, partly, to this inherent quality of ribbed fabric and partly to the elasticity of the thread 3. i There is very little initial tension in the elastic thread 3. It is inlaid in the process oi knitting, and is not itself knitted in. The term inlaid 50 only explains how the elastic thread is fed to the fabric as the latter is knitted. The elastic thread is not incorporated in the fabric 4 itself. That is to say, it is not carried over kand under the loops of wales 6, i1, nor is it interspersed between 55 said wales. The nal result of inlaying theelastic thread 3 is to apply it or make it lie against one face of the fabric I, and this is accomplished by a tying-in thread l, supplied at a feed point of the machine other than those at which the body thread or threads of the fabric 4 and the elastic 5 thread 3 are introduced.

Said tying-ln thread 1 occurs in a continuous strand but because of the fact that it is knitted into the fabric by a set of needles different from the ,set lwhich is used to pull the elastic thread down to the inlaying4 level, in other words down to the sinker throats, said tying-in thread produces one or more extra courses 8, located between the elastic thread courses. However, the tying-in thread follows the elastic thread courses, as shown, periodically crossing the lelastic thread at 9,'rst in one direction, next in the other direction.

The direction-change points are designated lil, and it is at these points which occur medially of the wale lines G that the tying-in thread l is formed into stitches Il which are interlooped both with the short loops i2 in one body-thread course and with the loop tops I3 of the corresponding short loops l2 in the next body-thread 25 course. Thus the elastic thread is held against the face of the fabric t by the tying-in thread 'l which simultaneously secures the elastic thread and interloops with the loops I3 of adjacent wales t. This last interloopment prevents the fabric from unraveling.

It will be noted that the tying-in thread 'i (also 8) disappears into the fabric t only along the wale. lines il. At the places where it emerges from the fabric it oats across at least one intervening wale line 6. It is at its fioat places that the tying-in thread l crosses the elastic threads to secure the latter to the face. of the'fabric t.

It is of importance to note the advantages of supplementing the fabric with an elastic thread. 40 In the event of breakage of the elastic thread, said fabric still holds its shape and retains its natural holding function. When an elastic thread is embodied in a plain fabric not of the mock rib or accordion type the rib effect depends entirely on 4,54

the puckering of the elastic. Should the elastic break in such fabric .the ribs will simply flatten out and become a plain flat fabric. If such fabric happens tobe a stocking top there will be no appearance of a rib top.

In fixing the machine to produce the improved fabric, the elastic thread is pulled down by every fourth' needle, but some other multiple may be used, this as desired. The elastic thread is thus pulled down to the sinker throats, as previously stated. The three needles between the foregoing working needles are held depressed below the sinkers so as not to interfere with said working needles from taking the elastic thread.

After taking the elastic thread as stated, the

yhooks of the working needles hold the elastic thread down in the sinker throat until it reaches the feed point of the tying-in thread. It is at this feed point that the elastic thread slides off of the working needles, being interlaced by the tying-in thread as explained.

If desired, the working needles may be used in pairs. triples orother combinations. instead of in singles as here. Then, instead of anchoring the elastic thread with a single yarn, it would be JOSEPH P. Pimm. 15 

